


What's in a Name?

by Melyaliz



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, Marvel Original character, Original Character(s), Original character Marvel, Steve Rogers & Sam Wilson Friendship, Steve Rogers & oc - Freeform, steve rogers fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-02
Updated: 2018-12-05
Packaged: 2019-09-05 14:20:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16812355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Melyaliz/pseuds/Melyaliz
Summary: I didn't mean to meet him. I didn’t want to meet him. But I couldn’t stop talking to him





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I partly have no idea what I'm doing with this story and yet have SO many ideas. I was honestly worried to even post it here. But let's just see how it goes I guess.

“It’s fun, I’m like Cinderella”

I could almost hear them roll their eyes over the phone as I walked into the large SHIELD headquarters. Man, tough crowd. 

“Just be careful,” Kit’s voice said from the other end. Her lack of confidence ever present. I couldn’t help but smile as I putting my bag on the conveyor belt before slowly prepared myself for the metal detector.

“Always, you girls have a good day at school.” Hanging up I placed the phone in the small plastic bowl.

The rest of my day was pretty uneventful as I pushed my custodian’s cart through the lower halls of the shield building. Caught up in my own world and thoughts.

A world I was in when I had the shock of my life. Honestly, I was minding my own business with my headphones in blasting music while I mopped up the bathroom floor. It wasn’t high clearance. One of the lower rooms. Just finishing the last toilet I stood walking out of the stall to come face to face with Captain America himself.

Ok more like face to back The huge hero was washing his hands in the sink.

Why was he here? This was like the pencil pusher’s bathroom. Wouldn’t big heroes like him have some cush bathroom with like a vanilla scented candle and leather couches? Bathrooms I did not have clearance for.

I had let out a squeak holding onto my mop as if it was going to protect me. At the sound, Steve Rogers turned standing tall.

God, he was even bigger than in real life. He stood there looming over me with a smile on his face holding out his hand.

“Sorry I called out but no one answered.”

“Uhhh… headphones” I mumbled pointing to the white cord now hanging from my ears. As if this explained why Captain -freaking- America had just been caught in the bathroom. We stood in uncomfortable silence for a moment, him with his hand outstretched to me while I clung to my mop as if it was supporting me. Maybe it was.

Finally, -composting myself- I forced a smile giving him a small gloved wave.

“Trust me, you don’t want to shake these hands…. But nice to meet you, person who almost gave me a heart attack.”

“I’m Steve…”

“I know who you are” That came out a lot meaner than it was supposed to. Come on girl! Be nice don’t freak out, be cool. “Why are you here?” yeah, that was cooler… let’s accuse him of using a bathroom. We all know why people go in them.

He laughed rubbing the back of his head as if he was a child being caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Do people still use that phrase? He probably did, he was from World War 2… he’s basically an old man in a young person’s body.

“I like it down here, it’s quite. Sometimes I come here when I just need time to… think.”

I bit my lip trying desperately not to laugh at that, “You come to a bathroom to think?” or was that a polite way of saying he needed a private place to do this business? Girl, why are you pushing this? What happened to being cool? Ok let’s be real, I left cool in the stall before I saw the god among men. 

He gave a sheepish smile shrugging. “I guess”

Shrugging I put my mop back into the large yellow bucket that I rolled around with my cleaning supplies. “Who am I to judge. I mean…” I looked around the bathroom, come to think of it I don’t think I had ever seen anyone in here beside him. “I think you are the first human I have ever seen in here… guess you are the reason I’m cleaning it.”

“If I’m making more work for you…” I held my hands up to silence him.

“And stop my paycheck. Don’t worry about it.” laughing you gestured to the bathroom, “Use away… or think… or whatever…” He smiled.

“Thanks”

And that was that. Another simple smile and nod before he politely exited the room. I had assumed it was over, never to see the blonde hero again, but a week later he was back.

This time he waved as to not scared me. Not that It didn’t stop me from nearly jumping out of my skin. Pulling at one of my dreadlocks flashed him a smile trying to take deep breaths to calm my heart down.

“Need some thinking time?”

“No, I didn’t get your name last time.”

“Cindy,” I said quickly gesturing to my name tag the name sounding a little lame in my mouth as I said it. It always felt a little bit strange, in fact, I had to say it several times to make it flow as I said it. Both my girls wouldn’t even let me leave until they didn’t hear a stutter.

“Well, it is nice to meet you, Cindy.”

“Thanks…” again there was that awkward stretch of silence before I nodded toward the stalls, “Mind if I?”

“No go ahead,” he said.

I started to move my mop around cleaning up the floor, mind filling with so many questions.

“What?”

Apparently questions I said aloud. “Oh… I uhhh, sorry”

Steve shrugged, “No, What did you say? The weirdest what?”

“What was the weirdest thing to get used to?”

“Phones.”

The answer was automatic. Not missing a beat. It also made total sense, “Like cell phones?”

“Any phones really, the change with the buttons, and texting. Computers, in general, were a bit hard to understand. I feel like every time I sit down to use one I learn something new that everyone else seems to know.”

He was caught up in his own thoughts. Down a rabbit hole of experiences that I would never know. It was fascinating to watch. Or even think about. I, like most mid 20 somethings, had grown up with the changing technology. It was hard to imagine going from talking to an operator to connect you to have an item in your hand that could show you a video of the person real time while you talked to them.

After that day Steve Rogers came to visit me every Thursday in the bathroom. The conversation was always light but so fascinating. From things like asking how his list was going and even giving him some tips on how to cheat it.

“Wikipedia is amazing, and CliffsNotes too. I use to go on there all the time if I was about to go to a party. You know, bone up on any conversation topics that might come up.”

“I feel like you would be easy to have a conversation with.”

Did I mention he was sweet? And super charming. All the subtle compliments flowed so naturally from him. It was almost like I could believe him when he said things like that. After all let’s not forget all the very awkward moments of our first meeting Steve. Wasn’t so easy to converse back then, was it Mr I think in the bathroom? “It’s hard to tell because I’m such a cool cleaning lady but I was a total outcast nerd as a kid.”

He smiled, “Me too”

“Well, I feel like you grew out of it.”

“You could say that” we lapsed into silence again, these days it was much more comfortable than before. Caught up in our own thoughts, “So you use to study before going to parties?” he pressed, obviously not going to let me get away with that awkward confession without a story.

“Yeah, from fashion to movies to world news. I use to sit in front of my mirror and practice talking to people.” I cocked my head to one side speaking in a robot voice, “Hello my name is A.. Cindy and I like pop culture. Do you like pop culture? Please like me.” My heart pounded in my heart at the slip-up. FUCK. This was getting a little to close.

However, he didn’t even seem to notice as he burst out laughing. I turned away quickly filling up toilet paper in one of the stalls taking a few deep breaths to try and slow my heart and hope my face wasn’t too red. Part of me wondered if this flush wasn’t only from my slip up.

I may be enjoying these visits a little more than I should.

Maybe it was a good thing they didn’t last long.

“Would you like to go out sometime, something like coffee?” I turned trying to fight back a small smile that shouldn’t be there. Part of me hoped someone else had offered that suggestion. The idea of Steve asking what “youngsters did nowadays” was such an amazing image. Or better yet maybe he googled it. Oh God I hope so.

“Are you asking me on a coffee date?”

“Yeah, Sam suggested it.” Bam, knew it. Too bad it wasn’t the internet, but that was a nice close second. I wish with all my heart I could have been there for that exchange. 

“Sorry, I can’t. I’m really sorry.”

I could tell he was slightly disappointed. Although he hid it pretty well. He didn’t even ask why as he nodded. “Well I’ll see you next time,” he said more gracefully than I deserved. Man, he was a true gentleman. 

Maybe if he had been someone else? More like if I had been someone else. If my life wasn’t my life. Maybe if I really was Cindy just a girl cleaning a bathroom where the hottest man who ever lived visited.

Maybe, just maybe. 

But I wasn’t.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He hadn’t meant to meet her and now he couldn’t stop talking to her. But it was what she did couldn’t make her stop thinking about her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All I have so far, the next chapter is like, half written and I''m not sure how I feel about it yet. Along with how this whole story. Where am I going? What am I doing? Who am I?

“So when is your coffee date?”

“She said no”

“I’m sorry wait what?” Sam asked in total shock as he and Steve stretched before their run, “Someone said no to THE Captain America?” shaking his head he stretched out his other leg, “If you can’t find a date there is no hope for any of us” They both paused for a moment switching legs, “or maybe she doesn’t like guys.”

Steve shrugged before he slowly started to jog Sam at his side. Cindy had been such a breath of fresh air from the normal crowd he had been with. (Sam excluded) The way she talked, the way she seemed to listen to him. It was like they were both experiencing the same amazing things in this time period. (And yes, he knew she wasn’t frozen in an ice cube like he was but still, she sometimes acted like it. )

While the rest of the world seemed to try and sugar coat things or ignore it when Steve found something funny or truly fascinating. Yet Cindy seemed to find those same things fascinating. Or at least found the fact he found them interesting, interesting. She would lean in and prod him until he explained in great length why he found snapchat filters so interesting. I mean why the dog ears? That’s up with the licking?

He had honestly never met a person like her before. She seemed to just speak her mind to the point that sometimes she was speaking his mind. Saying things he was thinking but would never say. But Cindy, that small girl with the dreadlocks and nose ring, she would just say it. And the way she would say it as if more to herself than him. As if her own thoughts escaped her brain and flew out her mouth.

As the week continued he realize how much he looked forward to their Thursday chats. How it was a nice break through the week. Like a breath of fresh air. In the bathroom of all places, there was a joke in there somewhere he was sure. So even if she didn’t want to hang out any other day but Thursday it was ok. He would just take their Thursday for what it was.

That was why when he saw her on Wednesday he was taken aback.

He wasn’t even sure it was her. Standing there in one of the large office rooms, lined with computers. She was standing by one of the computers as it flashed. “Cindy?” Her head snapped up as if someone had poked her with a hot iron, her brown eyes wide.

“I… I’m sorry,” she looked like she wanted to say something else, something more. But instead grabbed something from her pocket placing it on the window. It exploded with a short pop, glass raining down onto the street below. Grabbing something from the computer she slipped through the broken glass leaping to the street below.

Steve ran up to the window to see an unmarked white van driving away, Cindy climbing in through the skylight. She looked up her gaze meeting his one more time. He could have sworn he saw her mouth another apology before disappearing inside. He couldn’t believe it, totally shocked as he stood there, his feet planted in the gray warn carpet as agents ran in. Sirens blaring from the window break. Lots of yelling as they looked over the computer. Other agents peppered him with questions.

“Who was she?”

“Why didn’t you chase after her?”

“What did she look like?”

“What do you mean she cleans our bathrooms?”

“The information she took, we were able to only find a little. Something about a missing girl. Her name was Amy and she was kidnapped when she was about 6. The Daughter of an Officer. She went missing when she was playing outside on her bike with her older cousin. The cousin hadn’t seen anything and had only found the girl’s bike.” Natasha said handing him the files they had printed out. “Whatever she used corrupted a lot of the information we had.”

Steve sighed as he looked over the photos provided by the files. Natasha was right, even many of the picture of the girl, Amy, were corrupted. Whatever virus Cindy used had done its job. But why? Why would Cindy care so much about this one girl? Enough to destroy the information on her.

Steve stared at the picture of the small girl who’s missing files were just as vacant as she was. Amy looked up at him with a huge smile on her face from the photo holding a huge stuffed teddy bear. Dressed in her Pajamas in front of the Christmas tree, no older than six. With Bright blue eyes and ever brighter red hair she wasn’t Cindy and didn’t look anything like her so why would Cindy want files on her?

Then something happened. Fate, dumb luck, or just Natasha’s amazing skills. But one morning while Steve was enjoying a whole grain breakfast of champions the red-haired spy tossed a few photographs on the kitchen table.

“You’re welcome” Steve stared down at the pictures. She was older, yes, but that was definitely Amy. Bright Red hair as pulled back in a ponytail as she talked to another student of the high school she was obviously attending. Photos of her walking the halls, attending class, talking with other students. Natasha had done her work. “I checked the school records, here is her address.”

“Does… Furry know?”

“He will” Natasha paused glancing down at the girl, her smiling face slightly turned from the camera as she placed her books in her locker,

“but I figured you deserved a head start”

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Steve took a deep breath. Here he was, in the middle of Iowa, about to get to the bottom of why Cindy made her grand exit. Why this Amy kid seemed to be living a relatively normal life after being abducted. 

Why. 

“Hello?”

There she was, Amy. now 15 or 16, bright red hair and all.

“Is a Cindy here?”

Amy played with a strand of her red hair sizing him up, as if unsure what to do. Then slowly she took a few steps back for him to enter. This was it. He could get the answers he wanted. His heart was pounding. Why was he so nervous? This was a recon mission. 

Wait this was a mission… 

It was like a ton of bricks hit him. Or maybe a train. After all he was a super soldier.

Regardless, all he remembered was the clean white living room, complete with fuzzy blue blankets draped over the leather couches, of the small apartment before he blacked out. 


End file.
